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Topic: Dug vs Drilled well. (Read 4817 times)

I'm still continueing my property search and I came across a property with a dug well. I have no experience with wells, and I'm a little concerned. Are dug (therefore shallow) wells safe? I thought you hand to go down deep to get to safe water, although I could be completely wrong.

There is already a small cottage on the property, with a cesspool near the well, and two other cottages close by on adjoining lots presumably with their own septic/cesspool. Should I be concerned?

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Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.

The cesspool hasn't been used for years and will not (cannot) be used again. My concern is with the safety of shallow wells in general. I've seen several people here using spring feed wells which seem to carry the same risks. I was wondering how they address those risks.

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Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.

Sounds as if you are already very concerned. It might be a good idea to send a water sample to your state lab. That might ease your mind and if the report comes back with fecal issues or bacteria issues you might use that to leverage a sale. After all you if you buy it will have to drill a well and do a lot of replumbing. Or have the current owner do such if the lab test come back bad.

Most state labs do not charge a lot for water tests or around here they do not anyway, but the times they are a changin'

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Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established. 4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

Dug wells can be safe. Depends on the standards they are built to. Mine is 2 years old, about 15 feet deep, lined with 4 foot diameter concrete rings. The hole they dug was much wider than the rings so they could pour a concrete sleeve around the outside of the rings about 15 feet in diameter. This supposedly prevents ground water from getting down around and into the well ie rain sheds off away from the well. They also burmed up around the well with soil to further assist water to run away from the well. The water tests fine. An older dug well could be scarry. I dug on the advice of the well guy because there is a history of trouble with drilled wells in the area.